Saudi Arabia on Tuesday described Hizbollah’s military actions in Lebanon as a coup backed by Iran, illustrating the regional tensions the Lebanese crisis threatens to exacerbate.

In the strongest comments yet from the kingdom in relation to the crisis in Lebanon, Saud al-Feisal, the foreign minister, said Saudi Arabia was gravely concerned by the events and called on “all regional sides to respect the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon”, in a reference to Iran and Syria.